Watch The Wu-Tang Clan Turn NPR's 'Tiny Desk' Into A Hip-Hop Cypher
The group continues to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their seminal album Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers).
The Wu-Tang Clan are the latest guests on NPR's Tiny Desk series. The Staten Island rap group performed a 20-minute set that featured everything from cuts from their landmark album Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) to solo cuts like Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx.
READ: A Wu-Tang Clan Drama Series Is Coming To Hulu
Beginning their set with "Triumph," the Wu go through a medley of songs accompanied by strings (courtesy of The Green Project) as they're all led by RZA who doubles as the DJ for the performance. But the set also shows the chemistry between the members as Raekwon, Inspectah Deck and Cappadonna trade verses with Masta Killa and U-God, turning their performance into a hip-hop cypher. Young Dirty Bastard, the son of original Wu member Ol' Dirty Bastard, also gets in on the fun, offering an energy reminiscent of his father.
Another notable moment occurs toward the end when RZA raps a part of "Duck Seazon" from 1997's Wu-Tang Forever and omits some explicit lyrics while referencing the #MeToo movement. He also raps something of a freestyle (the lyrics are pre-written as he reads them from his phone) that comes after the group plays one of their most popular songs, "C.R.E.A.M."
Wu-Tang have been very busy celebrating the 25th anniversary of 36 Chambers. They recently released a limited edition makeup collection through Milk Makeup. The Wu-Tang x Milk Makeup line includes eight different lipstick colors inspired by the eight trigrams of the ancient Chinese philosophical text, the I Ching. Sacred, Fire, Chi, and Flow are some of the ones featured in the collection. According to the website for the collection, the lipstick is vegan and gluten-free.